Ksubi - Grew Watch‑time +82% with Inside Editors

By optimizing its editing pipeline, Ksubi achieved faster turnarounds, fewer creative bottlenecks, and meaningful savings across production.

Project snapshot

Client

Platforms

Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts

Goals

Boost watch-time, CTR, and engagement on campaign drops

Timeline

8-week pilot → rolling monthly

Budget

US$70k–115k (pilot, ex-media)

Industry

Premium Streetwear / Fashion

Audience

Streetwear consumers, fashion-forward Gen Z & millennials, culture-driven buyers

Deliverables

14 × 10–25s variants per drop; 9:16 / 1:1 / 4:5 / 16:9 formats

Team

Lead Editor, Motion Designer, Color, QC, PM

Compliance

Licensed music; rights clearances for models, talent, and street-shot locations

Business challenge → audience insight

Promo velocity lagged during retail spikes (BTS, Black Friday, Holiday).
Hook rate and mid‑video retention below targets; high revision loops.
Heavy varianting (offers/regions) created bottlenecks and inconsistency.

Audience insight: Shoppers scroll fast; the first 3 seconds must signal value (price + benefit) and trust (brand cues). Motion language needs to be clear, legible, and caption‑first.

Creative & editorial strategy

Story spine: Hook → Payoff → Proof → CTA

Format map: 9:16 primary; 1:1 and 16:9 cutdowns; 15–30s durations; 8–12 variants.
Brand guardrails: Target approved type scales, safe zones, ADA contrast, logo lockups.

AI‑assisted workflow (human‑in‑the‑loop)

Experiment design

A/B tests: hooks (first 3s), caption styles, thumbnails, pacing, grade.
Success criteria: +20% hook rate; +15% AVD; CTR +25%; cycle time −30%.
Sample: ≥ 20 variants across two seasonal drops.

Results & proof (the receipts)

Retention curve (0–60s)

Hook rate (≥3s view %)

CTR (thumb tap‑through)

Average View Duration

Cycle time (ingest → approved)

Reusable playbook (what worked)

Clear value in first 3 seconds: price + benefit + brand cue.
Caption‑first design; bold type; high‑contrast end cards.
Motion language: purposeful cuts; subtle scale; legible supers.
Template sets: LUT pack, caption JSON, motion presets.

Scope, pricing, timeline

Package

Deliverables

TAT

Revisions

Essential

8 short‑form edits + 1:1/16:9 cutdowns

48–72h

2 rounds

Growth

16 edits + variants + thumbnail set

24–48h

2 rounds

Scale

32 edits + variants + motion pack

24–48h

2 rounds

Trust & E‑E‑A‑T

Editor credits: Lead (retail promos), Motion (templated ads), Color (ACES), QC (broadcast).
Author: Inside Editors · Last updated: 2025-09-10
Tool stack disclosure: Premiere Pro, After Effects; AI for transcripts/reframes/denoise/captions with human QC.
Security: NDAs, watermark internal drafts, expiring links, private workspaces.

Key facts (SGE‑ready)

How did we improve retention by 74%? Faster hooks, caption‑first design, and AI‑assisted pre‑cuts enabling more variants.
What AI steps were used? Transcripts, silence cuts, smart reframes, denoise/upsample, auto‑captions—reviewed by editors.
What were the exact results? Retention @30s 71% (from 58%); CTR +32%; cycle time −42%; cost/video −27%.

Ready to move fast?

Rights & safety

We track license IDs for music/fonts/stock, store consent IDs for voice/likeness, and watermark internal drafts.

Turnaround

Short‑form within 24–48 hours; long‑form within 3–5 days.

Revisions

Two rounds standard; more available.

Pricing model

Per‑deliverable packages; volume retainers available.

File retention

90 days by default; long‑term archival available.